Beijing

Material scientists at Stanford University have developed a highly effective semitransparent air filter that can collect 99 percent of the very small PM2.5 particles, considered the most harmful to the human respiratory tract. The low-cost filters, which don’t require power to function, could be used to build better protective facemasks, window screens, filtration systems in hospitals, and perhaps even to reduce pollution from cars and industrial smoke stacks. Read More

China currently boasts the world's largest building, could soon be home to the world's tallest pair of towers, and according to Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), we will soon be able to add an airport passenger terminal to the list. The firm has unveiled plans for its Beijing New Airport Terminal Building, which it says will be the world's largest. Read More

Chinese architectural firm MAD has started work on an ambitious new project that aims to add some nature to inner-city Beijing. The Chaoyang Park Plaza comprises commercial, office, and residential buildings – all of which feature a degree of sustainable technology – and MAD hopes to achieve LEED Gold-certification once the project is completed in 2016. Read More

The auto market in China looks set to continue expanding dramatically and this hasn't failed to catch the eyes of the big players in the car industry. At Auto China 2014 in Beijing, Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd presented the world premiere of the production model of its Denza; the first all-electric vehicle for the Chinese market produced by the first Sino-German electric car joint venture. Read More

As Nico Rossberg and Mercedes celebrate the first win of the 2014 Formula One season, another group of racers is preparing for a new electric race series. All-electric Formula E racers will hold their own Grand Prix for the first time this September at the iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Read More

According to a report by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, environmental conditions in China's capital are so bad as to be "almost unfavorable for human living." Officials have recently passed new laws and set aside billions of yuan to try and curb air pollution in Beijing, which has been recording some of its worst smog levels ever. Architecture firm Orproject has proposed the construction of a sealed canopy filled with clean air. Bubbles would cover a park and botanical garden, providing a healthy, temperature- and humidity-controlled oasis. Read More

Office buildings have traditionally been so staid that whimsical departures from the norm still trigger a strong response, both good and bad. The latest member of the avant-garde architecture club, the estimated US$1.08 billion, 44-floor, 768 ft (234 m) CCTV headquarters building in Beijing (already so iconic it's part of a board game for architecture groupies) is now finally complete - after nearly eight years of construction. Read More

Audi makes well-engineered conservatively-designed vehicles. It is seen as the German luxury make for those who don’t want the overt aggression of BMW or the extravagance of Mercedes-Benz. The cars suit a great many people down to the ground and the “soft-roader” Q5 and lately the compact Q3 have been very successful. They are not cars for driving enthusiasts however - the Q3 was recently called “unremittingly dull” in a well respected UK auto magazine (Evo) and every now and then Audi feels the need to prove that it has a wilder side. For the upcoming Beijing Motor Show it was the Q3’s turn for some conceptual wildness. Read More

Architectural practice SOM's 17.6-sq km (6.8-sq mile) master plan for Beijing Bohai Innovation City has won an international design competition for the redevelopment of the region. The design is focused on a redevelopment corridor along the high-speed rail connection between Beijing, and the port of Tianjin. Though incorporating existing infrastructure, the scheme constitutes an ambitious planned city, and one which, if fully realized, may set a new standard for environmentally-conscious urban planning. Read More